Razor blade hand plane



July 14, 1953 E. B. ACKLAND 2,645,259

RAZOR BLADE HAND PLANE Filed Oct. 17. 1950 IN V EN TOR.

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Patented July 14, 1953 RAZOR. BLADE HAND PLANE Edward B. Ackland, Cincinnati, Ohio, assignor to The Dearing Tool & M

ville, Ohio anufacturing Co.','Green- Application October 1'1, 195b, SerialNo. 196,483

4 Claims. 1

My invention relates to improvements in hand planes which employ razor blades and the like as the cutting edge.

Planes of this general type are known but here-. tofore no such plane has been developed that would work satisfactorily when actually put to practical use. Such planes have lacked sufficient supportfor the blade or cutter and have lacked satisfactory means for adjusting the amount of cut to be taken. Furthermore, the planes of this type known to me prior to this invention have been relatively complex and therefore difficult to manufacture economically,

. It is a principal object of my invention to provide a plane of the type described which is simply but solidly constructed so as to provide a firm support for the cutter which is free of, chatter and conducive to long wear.

Another object of my invention is to provide a small hand plane which utilizes arazor blade as the cutter and in which plane the razor blade or cutter, while independent of the Wedge-like support by which it is backed, is at the same time adjustable with such backing support so that the amount of cut taken at each pass of the plane over the work is easily and positively controlled.

Another important object of my invention is to provide means which will insure a proper gripping of the razor bladeand at the same time prevent chips from wedgingbetween the blade and theback suppOr therefor.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a plane of the general type described in which only three parts. are used to form the de-.

vice other than nuts, bolts, rivets and the like.

It is also an object of my invention to provide a small. hand plane which is capable of using blades either of the Schick injector type or of the Gillette type.

Yet another important object of my invention is to provide a small handplane which, while comprised of a minimum .number of parts, .is alduring the course of the following description,

and from reference to the accompanying drawings in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same, and in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of my novel hand plane in assembled condition,

Figure 21s a sectional view of this hand plane,

taken along the line 2--2 of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is an exploded sectional view showing the relation among the back support for the blade,

. the blade and the. clamping means therefor,

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of Figure 3, Figure 5 is asectionalview taken along the line 5-5 of Figure 1,

Figure 6 is a. view corresponding to that of Figure 5 but illustrating the use of a different type blade, and

Figure 7 is a sectional 1-1. of Figure 2.

Referring now to the drawings, especially Figures 1 and 2, it will be observed that my deviceiscomprised of three main parts and 'a blade. These parts are the body, generally indicated at ID, the blade .support'and adjusting arm, generally indicated at l l, andthe clamping member l2. The razor blade employed is designated at .l 3. The body It) comprises a fiat bottom or planing surface l4, upstanding sides'l5 and a rear, handview taken along theline grip portion I6. Itis obvious that the body 10' tegral therewith. One of the members H! has a rearwardly extending portionZO which 'constitutes a lever arm by means of which the blade re'st and cutter are adjusted in a manner to be described shortly. The lever arm 20 is provided with a vertical slot 2| through which a thumb'screw 22 extendsinto a threaded hole provided in one of the sides I5 of the main body.

The threaded hole just referred to, the slotted arm 20 and the fbla'de rest' I81 are so arranged that the blade rest'nor'mally assumes an angleof 45 with the bottom member l4 when the, thumb screw 22 is located centrally of the slot 2|. By

crimping the upper edge of the blade rest [8, as

indicated at 23, I am able to give addedstrength to thismemben It will be observed that the arm 20Yisofsu'cha length that the blade rest 18- and ,cutter'orrazor blade carried thereby just nicely, engage withinthe slot I! provided in the bottom member [4. It is contemplated that a pair of recessed rivets 24 will so engage the side walls l5 of the planar body with the side members IQ of the blade holder that a pivotal relation will exist between the members 10 and H. By proferred to, one using the device is better able to grip it firmly.

As is best seen in Figures 4, and 6, the blade clamping member I2 is provided with depending blade will abut. The clamping member 12 mayi have either a slight arch as is indicated in Fig:

ure 5 or it may have a fairly straight under sur face except for a hooked or bent portion 29. The purpose of so forming the clamping member I2 is to insure'tha't there will be a major line of pressing contact between the member 12 and the blade l3 at a position 30 closely adjacent the cutting edge 3! of the blade. By maintaining this lineof' contact at 29 or '30 as the case may be, I provide a plane in which it is extremely difiicult for'shavings to jam between the clamping member [2 and blade l3. It will be observed from thefigures that the clamping member 12 is"maintained against the blades l3 or 28 by means of a thumb screw 32 passing through holes 33'and 34in the member l2 and blade l3 ,respectively and having a threaded engagement Within a hole 35 in the member 18.

Proper" adjustment'of the blade rest 18 and blade [3 clamped thereon is obtained by relative movement between the lever arm and a sidewall [5 of the body of the hand plane. In

rest 1I8and blade l3 clamped thereto are retracted andthe'amou'nt of cut per single "pass thereby reduced. Conversely, when the arm 20' is moved, downwardly the blade rest [8 and its attached blade 13 are projected through theslot ll so as to enable a greater cut to be taken per single'pass of the plane. Since a relative large movement of thearm 2!) results in only a rela-- tively small movement of the blade I3, a very fine adjustment may be obtained.

It is to be understood that modifications may be madeto the structure disclosed and describedherein without departing from the scope and spirit of my invention. Thus, and by way of example only, it would be possible to locate the slot 22 in a side wall [5 and the threaded hole for the thumb. screw 22 could be located in the lever arm'2ll. Also, if desired, the enlarged end of the thumb screw 22 could be located outwardly of the side wall l5. And, of course, a

wing nut could be used in place of the thumb screw and the threaded hole thereby be elimi-' nated entirely. Similar modifications may be made in other parts of my hand plane without altering the scope of my invention.

It is to be further understood that while I have shown my invention as embodied in particular structure, I do not intend to be limited by such structure except insofaras it is specifically set forth in the subjoined claims. ing thus described my invention what I claim as new and what I desire to protect by United States Letters Patent is: v

'L'In a "hand plane using a razor blade and the like as a cutting edge, a body having a fiat bottom constituting a planing surface, said bottom-having a slot therein extending transversely to the length of said body, sides extending upwardly from said bottom, and a hand rest, a blade rest fitted between the sides of said body, said blade restgbeing pivotally mounted tothe sides of said body, an arm extending from said blade rest for pivotally moving saidblade rest into and away from the slot in said body, a clamping member to overlie a blade placed on said blade restto clamp said blade in fixed position on said rest with an edge thereof extending beyond said rest;

whe eby upon pivotal movement of said blade rest toward said slot, said fixed blade will be projected through said slot to the desired depth of cut for said plane, the depth of cut of said plane thereby being adjustable without adjustment of said blade relative to said blade rest.

2. The hand plane of claim 1 in which said arm extends rearwardly from said blade rest and the adjacent one of the sides of said body, and

clamping means for a'djustably securing said arm to said side, whereby to secure said blade rest in fixed position relative to said body.

3. The hand plane of claim 2' in which said blade rest is provided with an opening, and in which said clamping means comprises a plate-like member adapted to overlie said blade rest, said plate-like member having a projection extending into said'opening, said razor blade fitting between said' blade rest and saidplate-like mem-' ber. and abutting said projection.

45The. hand plane of claim 3 in which said plate-like member has oneof its edges formed so:

as to contact said razorblade'substantially along a line parallel to edge.

EDWARD- B. CKLAND;

- References Cited in the file O f lJhiS patent. I

' UNITED STATES PATENTS 506,377 7, France l\:/I ay 28, 192 0l Havand adjacent said projecting 

